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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bear · scale · land · saw · track · chair · key · wake

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. track — a path
  3. bear — the animal
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. key — in music
  8. track — a song
  9. wake — a trail
  10. track — to keep track
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. scale — size or range
  14. key — for a lock
  15. chair — a leader
  16. scale — in music
  17. land — to come down
  18. bear — the animal
  19. key — the most important part
  20. land — a country
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. chair — a professorship

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com